Rider Magazine names VFR1200 motorcycle of the year.

"lol whos ignorant now tard. "


Ah ho your just poked the bear!

GO GET EM BILLY:whoo:

hehehehehe

 

My name is The Revengel and I approve of this message. Now pass me my hair "product"

:lol:

 

*licks cream off latte*

The clutchless manual tranny first made it's way to the public via the Ferrari Mondial 8. Derived from the Ferrari F1 cars it removed the need for that third pedal & allowed the driver a short-cut towards using a stick. Tiptronic (in all it's variations) was part of that same movement.

*bites Qua-sant*

The point of these items making thier way from F1 to the Mazda 6 and Pontiac GTP was the ultimate goal of driver control - select your gear/speed/power because you *want* to...not because you *have* to. The Tiptronic was intended to be the best auto tranny with the joy of a manual when you wanted it. But when you're stuck on the Freeway or I-95 in bumper to bumper traffic your calves don't grow to be the size of watermelons.

*sips latte*

So paddle shift is to the manual what the Tiptronic is to the auto: It accomplishes the same thing with less effort *required* by the driver while making it safer...as you don't have to take your hands off the wheel. That and the fact that the shift is faster are the major reasons why Ferrari brought it to F1 to begin with. This whole thing (much like the HUD on some cars) is more than just more options...it creates a new demand in the market. That's why you find paddle shift on more than just Ferarris.

Enter Honda.

They just took a similar system & put it on a Sport/Sport Tourer bike. Now you have the ease during a commute (if you commute daily the way I do) you have the fun in the twisties when you want to & as a bonus whomever is in the back seat doesn't feel the pitch back & Forth during the auto shift. With the vast majority of riders not being on the track there is a *huge* market for this technology. Look at touring bikes like the Goldwing - this could be huge! Look at the cruiser market...and especially the standard market. Who really likes *having* to work the clutch in bumper to bumper traffic every day? Even the Sport Bike market - who doesn't want quicker shifts on the track with the ability to select your gear?

Bringing ground-breaking tech to the masses is what changes the game. The DCT - paired with a very capable & versitle bike that gives all-day comfort with sport bike performance - is that game-changer.


Would you please pass the brie?


:wink:

 

[serious]
LoL nice and clever write up. I actually understand that tiptronics and paddle shifters can be bad assery putting my joking aside. I honestly prefer manual myself but I cant deny that paddle shifting is pretty neat. I think generally its a good concept for a sport tourer but thankfully its optional for ppl like me who prefer to squeese in a clutch.
I won't deny I wish sometimes I was on a scooter in stop and go traffic but I just can't deny my love for doing things manually. Getting to technical to me personally feels out of sync with the ride. (thats why I'm a Lotus man) I hate driving my stationwagon cause I feel so disconnected from the vehicle and its not very fun. Having big calves is never a bad thing.. better than having popeye arms lol
So don't get me wrong I'm not totally against it, but its not something I would want for myself personally.
I don't race or track my bike, I have the sport cages for that But I do enjoy spirited rides on the VFR through the twisties, something I imagine would be harder on the 1200. The technology is pretty new, so I guess I'll hush and wait to see if problems present themselves in time with this new auto tranny.
PS I knew that F1 racers use paddle shifters but as my previous thread stated they watered down the engine aspects of F1 racing
[/serious]

Bear vs Troll.. sunday sunday sunday lol

 

So isn't the S1000RR too technical? Where would you draw the line?
I didn't think I'd get the VFR1200, the pictures looked a bit c*ap but it looked better in the flesh but then I didn't like the exhaust ; this all without actually riding it. The dealer I use suggested I try a test ride, I did and now I have one, let the ride decide.
For me it is a game changer, it doesn't have any more gadgets than I want (electronic suspension, traction control WTF). Once people have played with the buttons they'll settle down and use the one setting. I'm not pretending I'm a racer so the aids to allow me to maximise my speed are irrelevant to me. If I wanted a sportsbike for tracks, I'd get a Fireblade.

 

Brie is some great cheese but if we are talking paddle, shifters the 1937 Cord had one. Wayne Rainey has a nifty auto set up on his gocart that is state of the art. Selective type auto trannys have been available on cars and trucks for years. To wit: 50's GMC pickups and Army 4Xs. B&M hydros would covert a standard two range GM hydro with a few beefing mods to a selective for some pesos. What ya got was a tranny that could shift 1-2, 1-3, or 1-4.

 

different strokes for different folks

 

"Wayne Rainey has a nifty auto set up on his gocart that is state of the art. "

Now explain why he has it. He doesn't have much of a choice now does he? The 37 Cord? Didn't know that. Have to try and find pictures. This I'd like to see.

I think the paddle shifter on the 1200 is a good thing in a way. Not sure how easy they could be bumped by accident though. Hey kick starters went out in the late 70's- early 80's. Foot shifter may do the same in the future. Biggest reason for it not, would be $$$$. It didn't cost a thing to get rid of the kick starters, except to add electric starters to some bikes. Then again some bikes had both and it was a no brainer.

 

ROFLMAO! Have you owned a recent BMW?

I just sold my K1200S as the warranty period was coming up and have you read the issues over the last 5 years? Across the board it seems BMW has been having final drive issues like crazy (although the S1000RR is not likely to experience a shaft drive issue). My point is that BMW bikes are not the bikes of old.

 

Whew! G'morning folks!

Sea Otter - we have an Accord!

Speaking of Cords - the first front wheel drive sold in the US IIRC...here is a picture:



By the way - in Batman the animated series Bruce Wayne drives one.

On BMW quality - I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I've never owned one but I've had a few freinds who have had them. They seem to be rather bullet-proof, but these are not bikes made in the last 4 years.


woot.

 

Oh and Lotus RULES.

One of my dream cars: Lotus Europa.

 

Wayne Rainey does have choices. He chose to stick with it. If any of the noobs need to find out about him all they need do is Google the name. I hear he goes like stink on that rig. Some folks will never figure out that guys who race at that level have what I call, the gift". The rest of us being more or less not gifted like that.

Yep the Cords had FWD too. bigass Lycoming flathead V8 similar to some of the old flathead Packard and Caddie flatheads. The "paddle" shifter was a selector lever on the dash this was coupled to an electric clutch mechanism. Never drove of even "sat" in one. Seen maybe 3-4. Jay Leno has one...I betcha Seize Odder knows him or has raced one in the Mille Miglia. The last time I saw one was at Pebble Beach. It was a 10+..

 

I was surprised they used the DCT as a big factor in picking the VFR as BOTY, it is not available in the USA yet and it is an unknown quantity. We don't know how DCT will change the way we ride bikes nor do we know whether it will be popular. If DCT turns out to be a game changer, then I guess 2011 would have been too late to pick the VFR as BOTY.

Keith Code of Motorcyclist magazine and California Superbike School wrote about the BMW S1000R in the July issue. He said CSS has standardized on the BMW because the electronic engine management and suspension reduces crashes on the track. He submitted data. To me, that is a game changer right now. DONE, not pie in the sky.

The S1000R is NOT on my list of bikes I want. But I would have greatly preferred Honda had put this kind of technology on the VFR, not the DCT.

Ron

 

Whateva. You are a nooob too, when compared to Rainey, just like the rest of us. Name dropping and history quoting worthlessness for a thousand, Alex. An historian you might be, otherwise, nada. Let me guess, you were Rainey's mech, back in the day? Better yet, are you Wayne Rainey?

 

Ducati Multistrada1200. Does everything the new VFR does and more, with 125lbs less bulk. The other mags will be naming the MS their BOTY.